Convert a bank statement to Xero
Xero has no PDF import — it takes OFX, QIF or CSV. Upload your PDF statement here and download an OFX file Xero's bank statement import accepts, or a Xero CSV in either date order. The statement is reconciled against its own printed balances first, so you aren't importing numbers nobody checked.
Drop a PDF bank statement here
or click to choose files — a whole folder of statements at once is fine. Nothing is kept after conversion.
OFX, so Xero doesn't guess
Structured dates, amounts and payee fields mean no column mapping and no date-format ambiguity on import.
Both date orders
US and DD/MM/YYYY Xero CSVs are separate downloads. A date-order mistake moves transactions between months, so it isn't left to inference.
Verified before it reaches Xero
Opening plus transactions must equal the printed closing balance. Rows that break the chain are flagged for you to fix here, not discovered during reconciliation later.
How to import a PDF bank statement into Xero
Upload the statement
Drop the PDF bank statement onto the converter.
Check the reconciliation
Confirm the statement reconciles against its printed opening and closing balances.
Download OFX
Choose OFX for Xero, or a Xero CSV in your date order.
Import in Xero
Accounting → Bank accounts → Manage Account → Import a Statement, then upload the file.
Going the other way: export bank transactions from Xero to Excel
If you need the transactions already in Xero as a spreadsheet, for an auditor, a lender or your own review, use a report, not the bank account screen. The bank account's transaction list has no export button for filtered rows.
- Go to Accounting → Reports and open Account Transactions (listed as Detailed Account Transactions in some organisations).
- Set the date range, choose the bank account, and update the report.
- Use Export → Excel at the bottom of the report. If the export includes other accounts, filter the account column in Excel.
The report shows what was coded in Xero, often with the contact name where you might expect the bank's own description. If you need the bank's original lines, start from the statement itself: a downloaded CSV from the bank, or the PDF run through the converter above, which gives you Excel too.
Questions people ask
- Can Xero import a PDF bank statement?
- No. Xero imports OFX, QIF, and CSV files, and its bank feeds connect directly to supported banks — but there is no PDF import. If your bank's feed doesn't reach back far enough, or the account is closed, converting the PDF is the only route in.
- Should I import OFX or CSV into Xero?
- OFX where you can. It carries dates, amounts and payee text in structured fields, so Xero doesn't ask you to map columns and can't misread a date. Use CSV when you need to edit rows before importing, or when the OFX is rejected for an account-number mismatch.
- How do I import the file into Xero?
- In Xero, go to Accounting → Bank accounts, choose the account, then Manage Account → Import a Statement. Upload the file, confirm the date format if Xero asks, and complete the import.
- My dates are day-first — will Xero read them correctly?
- Use the DD/MM/YYYY Xero CSV export and confirm the date format on Xero's import screen. Getting this wrong silently moves transactions into the wrong month, which is why we ship both date orders as separate downloads rather than guessing.
- Will importing overlapping statements duplicate transactions?
- Xero flags likely duplicates during import, and our OFX files carry stable transaction IDs derived from each row's own date, amount and description — so the same transaction produces the same ID every time you export it.
- Why is my statement's opening balance different in Xero?
- Usually because an earlier statement hasn't been imported, so Xero's running balance starts from a different point. The reconciliation badge here tells you the file itself is internally consistent — opening plus transactions equals the printed closing balance — which separates a conversion problem from a bookkeeping gap.
Related guides
- Bank statement OCR: convert scanned statements to Excel, CSV or QBO
How to convert a scanned bank statement, and why checking against the printed balances matters more than any OCR accuracy figure.
- Converting a combined checking + savings statement
Statements that carry several accounts in one PDF break most converters. How to get one clean, reconciled file per account.
- How to pick a bank statement converter (a working method)
Every tool claims 99% accuracy. A test you can run yourself in twenty minutes, and the billing and format questions that actually separate the tools.
- Convert a credit card statement to Excel or CSV
Convert the PDF, then set the sign convention so charges don't import as deposits, and check the statement's period totals.
On QuickBooks instead? Use the PDF to QBO converter. Curious how the balance checking works? See the accuracy method.